Got this from Chris Nichols, LA modcom chair, who got it from Lotta Livin':

"Yes, it's true. The Beverly Hilton is developing plans to demolish Trader Vic's in order to build a hotel tower in its place. How can we stop this?"

...but WAIT! Let's not jump the gun! Here is the reply of another modcomer:

" Issue came up at a meeting is early January in the context of the overall plans for demo of the Robinson's May for housing adjacent to the Beverly Hilton. Consensus among the (small) group was that hotel itself was not a fight to undertake, BUT that TV was important. Plans - at least to my knowledge - are conceptual stage at this point, and involve the OTHER (west) end of the site, replacing Robinson's May....the hotel (and presumably with it, the hardest part of the site to use, which is where Trader Vic's is) would more or less be left alone. That said, I've heard nothing (which means nothing, of course...) about the status of the USE of TV."

I myself was aware of a situation over a year ago, when the hotel changed hands and the new owner wanted to oust T.V.'s, but was persuaded away from it by the T.V./S.F. management. It might just be that the rumor of that old situation mixed with these new plans...or not.

I thought the property was to be a "green" design, which would suggest the housing units would be interior, inside of a green belt, which hopefully would allow TV to remain on the perimeter. However, Merv Griffin, the owner is a developer.

As I posted on Humu Kon Tiki a couple days ago, we got an emailed tip from someone who wished to remain anonymous, because they are connected to one of the organizations involved in the project. His information is in sync with Chris' (maybe he got the same tip?), very specifically that plans call for the side of the property that holds the Trader Vic's to be demolished to make way for a tower. I don't know any more than that, and I don't know how much stock I put in it. I too have heard rumors about remodels & closings for BH TV for a while now, and have mostly dismissed them, but I'm starting to take them more seriously especially in light of the recent loss of Chicago.

Beny Alagem, who paid $130 million for the Welton Becket-designed Beverly Hilton two years ago, wants to tear down Trader Vic’s restaurant at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, the hotel's executive conference center, the Oasis Court and the hotel’s 514-space parking garage. Andy Fixmer obtained a report on Algaem's plans and posted a story on the Los Angeles Business Journal website late Wednesday. It's all in the name of building more luxury condo towers in Beverly Hills.

On those sites Alagem would build two 13-story buildings containing 96 condominiums, a 104-unit, 15-story condo hotel and 96 hotel rooms in two 3-story structures. The hotel’s parking would be put underground and increased to 1,422 spaces, to meet Beverly Hills’ codes.
The existing hotel, recently remodeled, would remain. The Beverly Hilton's 1950s modern styling, with lanais on the rooms overlooking the pool, has its fans. The hotel was for a time the L.A. flagship of the Hilton chain and served as the Western White House for President John Kennedy. But Trader Vic's— that place would be missed by lots of people.

The owner of the Beverly Hilton is planning to bulldoze parts the famed hotel to make way for luxury residences, according to a report obtained by the Business Journal.

Packard Bell co-founder Beny Alagem, who paid $130 million for the 569-room hotel two years ago from entertainment mogul Merv Griffin, wants to knock-down Trader Vic’s Restaurant and Bar, the executive conference center, the Oasis Court and the hotel’s 514-space parking garage.

On those sites Alagem would build two 13-story buildings containing 96 condominiums, a 104-unit, 15-story condo hotel and 96 hotel rooms in two 3-story structures. The hotel’s parking would be put underground and increased to 1,422 spaces, to meet Beverly Hills’ codes.

A price tag for the project – which also includes a remodeled pool and traffic improvements – wasn’t included in the report, but sources said the final cost could be in the $200 million range.

The hotel, and its ballroom in particular, has gained international prominence as the home of the Golden Globe Awards and other entertainment industry events.

Though the main 353-room, 8-story tower designed by noted architect Welton Beckett would remain, the plans would result in a net reduction of 96 hotel rooms.

Alagem’s investment firm, Oasis West Realty LLC, is expected to announce its plans at a joint meeting of Beverly Hills’ planning commission and city council on Tuesday afternoon.

Sources involved in the project provided the Business Journal with a copy of a master plan that Oasis West Realty distributed to city officials this month.

Bruce Baltin, a senior vice president at PKF Consulting, said the firm is working on the Beverly Hilton redevelopment plans, but he declined to comment on specifics.

“As projects go, this makes all the sense in the world,” he said. “It keeps the best elements of the hotel and replaces those elements that no longer work.”

Hotel owners across the country are considering similar projects that subtract rooms and add residences, said hospitality attorney Jim Butler, a partner at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP.

“This has become a major national trend for any full-service property,” he said. “There are a lot of people who want to live in condos that have the amenities and security of a hotel. For that reason, most (hotel owners) are considering a residential component to increase the economics of the property.”

The massive redevelopment plan for the Beverly Hilton’s 9-acre property comes on the heels of an $80 million renovation of the hotel that Oasis West Realty recently completed. The project is not expected to compromise that work.

As Oasis West Realty was finishing the renovations, the firm announced in December that it hired New York-based architecture firm Gwathmey Siegel & Associates LLC to design residential additions to the hotel.

I'm glad I at least got to see it and pop in for a minute last year. I've never seen *extensive* pictures inside, though. I was politely stopped after a couple shots when I tried. One of the clientele was nervous about a camera being present and wouldn't you know, they were seated right by a nice tiki. One of you locals might want to arrange to document the place in detail...perhaps a call ahead to the manager might yield an arrangement to come in and photograph during a slow time?
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